Forgot that I didn’t know

How do you react when you find yourself following a student driver? For me, it’s sad a combination of whining and self-pity. It happened again yesterday while I was running a quick errand, but this time an idea swatted me from my petulance. The idea was more of a flashback, to my first driving experience: cold palms, shaking knees, shallow breath.

Forgetting my former ignorance gets me into trouble, not just when following new drivers, but in a whole bundle of situations. And, I was reminded of The Four Phases of Learning, which goes something like this:1) I don’t know that I don’t know; 2) I know that I don’t know; 3) I know that I know; 4) I don’t know that I know. While I was enjoying Phase Four (completely unaware of my driving skills), the lady ahead of me was struggling in Phase Two — it was clear by the panic in her face.

My take-away from this experience is to empathize more and whine less, to recall what it’s like to not know things before complaining.